Dual Panel1I WISH you could put up with a little of my foolishnessplease try!
2My jealousy over you is the right sort of jealousy, for in my eyes you ere like a fresh unspoiled girl whom I am presenting as fianc� to your only husband, Christ himself.
3I am afraid that your minds may be seduced from a singlehearted devotion to him by the same subtle means that the serpent used towards Eve.
4For apparently you cheerfully accept a man who comes to you preaching a different Jesus from the one we told you about, and you readily receive a spirit and a gospel quite different from the ones you originally accepted.
5Yet I cannot believe I am in the least inferior to these extraspecial messengers.
6Perhaps I am not a polished speaker, but I do know what I am talking about, and both what I am and what I say is well known to you.
7Perhaps I made a mistake in lowering myself (though I did it to raise you up) by preaching the gospel of God without a fee?
8As a matter of fact I was only able to do this by "robbing" other churches, for it was what they paid me that made it possible to minister to you.
9Even when I was with you and was hard up, I did not bother any of you. It was the brothers who came from Macedonia who brought me all that I needed. Yes, I kept myself from being a burden to you then, and so I intend to do in the future.
10By the truth of Christ within me, no one shall stop my being proud of this independence through all Achaia!
11Does this mean that I do not love you? God knows it doesn't,
12but I am determined to go on doing as I am doing, so as to cut the ground from under the feet of those who would dearly love to be thought of as God's messengers on the same terms as I am.
13[God's] messengers? They are counterfeits of the real thing, dishonest practitioners masquerading as the messengers of Christ.
14Nor do their tactics surprise me when I consider how Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
15It is only to be expected that his agents shall have the appearance of ministers of righteousnessbut they will get what they deserve in the end.
16Once more, let me advise you not to look upon me as a fool. Yet if you do, then listen to what this "fool" has to make his little boast about.
17I am not now speaking as the Lord commands me but as a fool in this business of boasting.
18Since all the others are so proud of themselves, let me do a little boasting as well.
19From your heights of wisdom I am sure you can smile tolerantly on a fool.
20Oh, you're tolerant all right! You don't mind, do you, if a man takes away your liberty, spends your money, takes advantage of you, puts on airs or even smacks your face?
21I am almost ashamed to say that never did brave strong things like that to you. Yet in whatever particular they parade such confidence I (speaking as a fool, remember) can do the same.
22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
23Are they ministers of Christ? I have more claim to this title than they. This is a silly game but look at this list: I have worked harder than any of them. I have served more prison sentences! I have been beaten times without number. I have faced death again and again.
24I have been beaten the regulation thirtynine stripes by the Jews five times.
25I have been beaten with rods three times; I have been stoned once. I have been shipwrecked three times. I have been twentyfour hours in the open sea.
26In my travels I have been in constant danger from rivers, from bandits, from my own countrymen, and from pagans. I have faced danger in city streets, danger in the desert, danger on the high seas, danger among false Christians.
27I have known drudgery, exhaustion, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, fasting, cold and exposure.
28Apart from all external trials I have the daily burden of responsibility for all the churches.
29Do you think anyone is weak without my feeling his weakness? Does anyone have his faith upset without my burning with indignation?
30Oh, if I am going to boast, let me boast of the things which have shown up my weakness!
31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed for ever, knows that I speak the simple truth.
32In Damascus, the town governor, acting by King Aretas' order, had his patrols out to arrest me.
33I escaped through a window and was let down the wall in a basket.